SALON/TABS

July 24, 2014

Over the period of the exhibition SALON/Big Bang (27 June – 24
August) Reverend Eddy Reefhuis will discuss a selection of contemporary
art works, currently shown in the Oude Kerk, as part of his regular
Sunday sermon.
You are welcome to attend these ‘art sermons’ on Sunday July 27 and
August 3, 10, 17, 24, from 10:45 – 12:15 (door closes at 11: 00) in the
Oude Kerk. Admission is free and the main language is Dutch. (photocredits; screenshot of the Oude Kerk website)

July 20, 2014

With a Big Bang I was born and saw the light, immediate and
irreversible.

Everything that came after seemed to be slow, slower,
slowest compared to the urgency of that one first moment. That moment was decisive for what was to follow and it still
leads me the way through abstractions as time and space as an internal compass.

In Primary Explorers I show one black dress, a jumpsuit and
a black smock with a reflective trousers that will also be figuring in a video. The designs result of a
few slow processus like knitting and seamlessly connecting the parts by hand before felting them. This way
of working shows in the layering of the fabric and in the final compact shape of the garments. They seem to
have absorbed time and will absorb the gaze if you give it time. Then it is about absolute light and
darkness in the visual language of reflection and again absorption. (connygroenewegen.com)

About: Conny Groenewegen (1973) explores the evolution of ideas at
the interface of fashion, technology and design.

While being fascinated by the technical and societal
implications of the industrialisation of

fashion design, her work is always a reflection of the human
measure. The tension between

mechanisation and handwork, industry and artisan, is clearly
observable in her designs.

July 19, 2014

Herman Verhagen, GIB GNAB About: Herman Verhagen, the potter, graduated in 2003 at theRietveld Academie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Starting in 2009, he became an apprentice of Karin Dessag in Paris.
There he did a year's fulltime course to master all possible shapes,
from espresso cups to garden vase.

Glazing he learned from Marc Uzan.
In Le Mans (also in France) he learned a technique for structural glazing research,
to get these glazes exactly how they are wanted.

Since 2011 J.C. HERMAN Ceramics opened it's doors,
where all works by Herman Verhagen are sold in the shop that is connected to the studio.
Also series for other shops are being produced here,
as well as private orders and commands of companies. (photocredits: Mimi Berlin)

July 18, 2014

About: Elke Baggen (Geleen, 1987) lives and works in Amsterdam.
After finishing her

Bachelor degree Industrial Design Enginering at the
Technical University Delft,

she studied at the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. In 2012
she graduated

from the Image & Language department with the
installation “A rigid nature and it’s animated representation”. Her work has been exhibited
by KunstKamers Rotterdam, the W139 and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

July 15, 2014

About: Katja Mater (1979, Hoorn) is a graduate of Gerrit Rietveld
Academie and De Ateliers. She has been nominated for the Prix de Rome, the Dutch Doc Award and
the Royal Award for Painting.

Since 2009 she has been exhibiting her work in the
Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy,

Portugal and USA. Katja Mater's work originates from an interest in themes
such as the experience of time in photography, the documentation of moments and situations
with intangible characteristics, the

exploration of the limits of human perception, and the
specifications of the analogue medium

of photography from a meta perspective. Mater's approach is
much closer to drawing and painting and through a complex process that involves
multiple negatives masks, she opposes

July 13, 2014

Chris Kabel combines an interest in hardcore science with an
intuitive, artistic approach to the design

of plain objects that everybody uses in his daily life. After
studying biochemistry at the University of

Amsterdam, Industrial Design at the Technical University Delft (both only for a
short period), he continued at the Design Academy Eindhoven, where he graduated in 2001 in the
department Man and Living.

This lamp by Chris Kabel produces light that is exactly the
same as daylight on a sunny day.

Special particles in the resin diffuse the LED light in the
same way as the sunlight that enters

the atmosphere. Hence the lamp is blue too, like the sky.
The blue light can help in the case of

July 12, 2014

Couldn't resist doing something funny for once - same image you sometimes find on a drapo

G for God, for Geomancy and much more...

veve for Manbo Metwes Erzulie Freda Dahomey

drapo Dambala / Bosou (artist: Maxon Scylla)

drapo Agwe (artist: Evelyn Alcide)

veve for Bawon/Gede

veve Milokan

"The
drawings that were made, are all according to traditional designs [in
Haitian Vodou]. These are called 'veve'. There are lots and lots of
examples online, cf. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veve Note: There are 401 spirits (but this is a mythical number
and it's probably far larger). Every spirit and group of spirits has
his/her/its own veve. Every Vodou congregation (a 'House') has different
veve. A Manbo or Houngan (priest) should know hundreds of veve by heart
and be able to make them like I did yesterday." at the Amstelkerk 2nd opening of Salon/Big Bang _Maria van Daalen(photocredits: Gijs Stork)

In a Landscape (Digital print on Wood 2014) is a
collaboration project between artist and stage director Martin Butler and digital painter Floris Didden. Inspired by
early 19th centuary theatre design, Floris created a three dimensional digital painting allowing you to
enter into a fairy realm. Using the classical stage principles of Trompe-l'œil, and forced perspective,
the viewer is able to peer into and enter this represenation of a world between worlds. The piece was
orginally commissioned for the mediamatic lightness exhibition " Fays, Fairies and Other Magical
Creatures".

About: Floris Didden

is a digital painter and art director and is the
founder of Karakter, the twice emmy award

winning gaming visual studio, best known for their visual
design works for the television series Game of Thrones.

About: Martin Butler is a British born interdisciplinary artist and
stage director. He was trained in Drama at

Manchester University, and then later Choreography and
Performance at Amsterdam School of the Arts, in the Netherlands. His work always bridged and combined various disciplines,
dance, theatre, music, film, performance, new media, and fashion, and through this interdisciplinary
approach his work explores the new dramatic that the combination of different genres facilitate.

About: Karin Arink (1967) graduated from the Academy in Rotterdam
in 1990 and was participant of the

Rijksakademie from 1990-1992. She won the First Prize Prix
de Rome Sculpture in 1992 and wa

nominated for a.o. the Illy Prize 2005. Her work is widely
exhibited in group shows in the Netherlands and abroad. Also, Arink has an active career in the field of
culture at large. Since 1999 she is lecturer, coach and juror at various academies and since 2012
department coordinator at the Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam.

Karin Arink lives and works in Rotterdam. Karin Arink (1967) graduated in 1990 at the academy in
Rotterdam and was participant in the Rijksakademie from 1990-1992.

She won the First Prize Prix de Rome Sculpture in 1992. Her
work is widely exhibited in group shows in the Netherlands and abroad, e.g. ‘Exorcism / Esthetic
Terrorism’ in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen (2000), ‘Territoria’ in Prato 2005 and ‘Kleider machen
Kunst’ in the Gerhard Marcks Haus Bremen 2011. Solo exhibitions in the Van Abbemuseum in 1994, De Pont in
2006 and Stedelijk Museum Schiedam in 2008. Her work has been represented in catalogues and is
well received by the written press (reviews by a.o. Wilma Sütö, Din Pieters, Anne Berk, Paola van de Velde,
Roos van Put, etc.). Also, she has an active career in the field of culture at
large. Karin Arink writes and publishes regula and is juror. Since 1999 she is lecturer and juror at various
academies and since 2012 department coordinator in the Willem de Kooning academy Rotterdam. Karin Arink lives and works in Rotterdam (photocredits; Mimi Berlin)

RenS (Renee Mennen and Stefanie van Keijsteren) always go
their own way , but actively pursue

collaboration. Spontaneity is important to them, but they
perform extensive research before getting

down to work, and love exploring boundaries. RenS operate as
a duo in order to enable continuous

sparring and pushing each other to the limit. This creates
the twist in many of their designs.

Since they took off in 2008, RenS collaborated with partners like
Desso, Cor Unum, Zuiderzeemuseum, Texielmuseum and Lynfabrikken. RenS followed their hearts
with RED, a study into meanings and applications of that one specific colour with the strong
connotations in multiple areas. Their
studio is located in Eindhoven.

July 9, 2014

About: The label Dorhout Mees was founded by Dutch designer Esther Louise
Dorhout Mees. After her studies at ArtEZ Academy of Arts in Arnhem and
many years of working as a designer for established labels, such as
Bruuns Bazaar and Tommy Hilfiger, it was time to start her own label.

Dorhout
Mees is distinctive in its elegant style. It is feminine and
conceptual, but wearability is always an important element. Organic
forms contrasted sharp next to constructual forms. The base of all
collections are prints, silk, wool and delicate knits. Combined with the
use of wearable unconventional materials.

Fasinaction of the
constant connection between body and material, covering and uncovering
of the female body is always the starting point. Contradictions in
structures, silhouette and textures are the essence of the collections. (photocredits: Mimi Berlin)

In his contribution to the Big Bang edition of Salon, Vonck delved deep into his fascination and fear for the scientific method. First he follows the “Lone Observers” on their quest for the exploration of human lust and desire. He understands their affinity to moral seclusion and sees their inclination towards ruthless objectivism.

Then he directs our attention towards the stars with a radio telescope his father worked on as young engineer. And we see the grounds on which these instruments of expectation and hope were build: “We are all Big Bang Resonators”.

At last Vonck presents us the man made star child. Our celestial prodigy that will provide us with limitless energy and will finally elevate us from our humble earth: “The Hot Fusion Seduction.”

The Resonator Exhibition at DITS is part of Salon Amsterdam, Big Bang Edition. The works can be seen from 10th of July to 24th of August.

During SALON/Big Bang fashion designer Liselore Frowijn will
present her new collection

and fragrance. Liselore recently graduated cum laude at
ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in

Arnhem in 2013 on her bachelor of fashion design. With her
final collection she won the

Frans Molenaar Couture Award and participated in the
Festival International de Mode

et de Photographie à Hyères last April, where she won the
Grand Prix with her design

for Chloé. This year she worked on several projects such as
for Vlisco and participated on

several exhibitions. During the last months Frowijn worked
on her new collection.

In her work Liselore is permanently searching for the clash
on sportswear and luxury.

The concept of her new collection ‘’Fracture space’’ is
based on the wardrobe of a woman

who is fully at ease with herself. She moves elegantly and
dynamically in space, and lets no

person interrupt her energy. Instinctively she knows the
base of pure luxury. The silhouette

is based upon biking-jackets, carried out in tweed, and
finished with sporty pipings.

Liselore combined her own developed and hand painted fabrics
with materials from the

outdoor industry, together with rich jacquards from Italy. With this collection she caught all vibrations of this
enervating year: all bits and pieces that surrounded her and developed her signature. Like the
auras of Kokoschka, his powerful paintings displayed the energy of his characters;
he unrevealed their soul on almost an animal kind of way with his rough brush. His work
inspired Frowijn to develop rhythmic prints, floral and striped, carried out in colours
of the night. (photocredits: JW Kaldenbach)

July 8, 2014

I work in different media: video art, photography, poetry.
My latest passion is collage, handmade with scissors, tape and glue.
In the Madonna&Child series
I combine pictures from second hand art history books with plain images
from how-to-take-care-of-your-indoor-plants kind of books. I cut away,
replace, juxtapose, intertwine and overlap parts of these sacred and so
well known images of Maria and her baby Jesus with images of flowers,
leaves, branches and fruit, thus playing with concepts of fertility and
immaculate conception, mother earth and the divine, life and death, love
and loss.

ABOUT: Frank Bruggeman (Noordoostpolder, 1966) lives and works in
Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Frank Bruggeman is a graduate of Academy of Arts, Arnhem and
National Highschool of Horticulture, Nijmegen. Since 2002 he has had numerous solo
and group exhibitions including

of Modern Art (Arnhem). His works are part of the permanent
collection of Boijmans van

Beuningen (Rotterdam). Frank Bruggeman's work evinces a great fascination with
nature, and especially with plant materials, which result in installations, so-called
flowerpieces and plantscapes and designs for interiors and the public realm. The main topic in his
work is floral nature. The outcome is positioned in the field of art and design, questioning both
areas. Bruggemans loose and playful compositions are however more than just decorative. The
result is a balance between a natural

and artificial approach which mostly depends on the given
context. His body of work contains

installations, objects, photography and design for public
space. Nature always refers to itself

as a local or exotic botanical element. As a mental contrast
he uses industrial artefacts which

are coated with a special highly unnatural blue colour. (photocredits: Mimi Berlin)

July 7, 2014

NOMAN creates installations composed of separate sculptures that are a
distillation of everyday reality. These are abstractions of form,
material and colour, just the elements themselves. The ingredients for
our imagery are drawn from the world around us, but do not refer back to
it; they are part of a new Utopia.

By isolating objects from their functionality and altering their form
(re-tailoring them, as it were) we breathe new life into them, as with
the curtains in the NOSHO project. There is nothing that
alludes to the former use of the drapes and we imbue them with a new
lease of live, giving them a personality and a distinctive identity.

The proportion of the forms to the human scale is highly important
for this personification; they should fit a human being, as it were. The
sculptures therefore suggest the calm, silent presence of a notional
character. This serves as a means for us to encourage the sculptures to
enter into a relationship with the public, but also establishes
relationships between the objects themselves and between the elements
from which they are composed. We do this so that the public can
recognise themselves in this human scale.

These constituent elements imply a common bond, a familiar origin,
and this is what makes the staging complete: in their group formation
the sculptures function like a ‘super-organism’ or tribe that manifests
itself in conjunction with or in antithesis to the public; rather than
repel the public, the installation subsequently integrates them.

The complete installations are evocative of fictitious scenes
featuring abstract characters. The palette and composition propagates an
insistent, ominous atmosphere. The references to what we know and
recognise in the images are fragments, isolated insinuations. By means
of concealment and omission we ratchet up the suspense in this alienated
world. The resulting tension generates a subconscious flux of feelings
in onlookers, putting their senses on alert.

This dark layer plays an important part in our work and we believe
that it is also deployable in media other than sculpture. Proceeding
from this idea we produced a film, The Final Result Should Be Wonderful,
which is an assemblage of suggestive elements and in that regard
continues a line of approach which is similar to that in the rest of our
work. Once again the image comprises a choreographed grouping, in this
case of real people, among whom there is a mutual bond. This bond is
reinforced by the introduction of a deed, namely the action/reaction of
passing on the kiss.

A characteristic feature of the formal idiom we employ is a
multiplicity of materials presented in simple, abstract forms. For
example, the NOCOM installation is composed of 4,000 individual
threads that are fashioned into solid units, transforming the fragility
into powerful, abstract shapes. What we aim to achieve is an aesthetic
that makes the public feel they are involved with a complexity that does
not repel, but is clear-cut, intelligible and orderly. Such complexity
simultaneously implies that there are multiple angles of approach and
observation points. In general the works have no front or rear, nor do
they direct the public to adopt a particular standpoint. Unequivocal
perception does not constitute an interesting or realistic
representation of the world as we experience and perceive it.

The creation of our images stems from an intrinsic, intuitive mode of
collaboration. The abstract language that we employ as a collaborative
duo is one that we mutually and intuitively understand. It is not a
verbal language, given that the aim of our method of working is to break
free of the world as we know it. It is possible for us to communicate
with each other in a visual language through which we understand each
other very clearly. For example, during the development of a work we
both sense when a component might need to be shifted an inch to the
left. For us this indicates that there are certain truths which are
impossible to pin down on rational grounds, which provides the
opportunity to connect with each other spiritually. It is this
connection that we are ultimately seeking to establish with our public
as well: we do not provide them with a narrative and the situation in
which they find themselves is not made explicit. This means that there
is an intuitive exchange of information rather than a rationalised
imparting of information.

NOMAN was founded in 2010 by Lara Tolman and Selina Parr to work together under one name.

Mimi Berlin member a-MB-iance created the Evolutionary Extravaganza especially
for Salon/Big Bang, it’s an installation reminiscent of an ancient and
worn down mini laboratory cum museum, in which statuettes of imaginary
animals and other life forms are on show. Mimi Berlin’s Evolutionary Extravaganza offers a
comprehensive explanation for a broad range of observed phenomena in
animal species, such as for instance the Canis Collum Longus (Doggie
Longneck), born from the imagination of a-MB-iance and created with the
fascination for life in centuries gone by in mind. All the statuettes are unique, signed pieces and are made with vintage-de-luxe found objects.

About:Mimi Berlin is a creative collective,
based in Amsterdam. Their aim and mission is to inspire each other through fashion, interior, graphic
design and art related projects, also to inspire their clients to the best things in life as well. www.mimiberlin.com

Canis Collum Longus (Doggie Longneck)

July 6, 2014

About: fORS is a dutch label with German roots which makes conceptual clothes,
abstract yet wearable, ideally suited for both men and women looking for
that one special tough looking piece.
Their designs are based on the vague balance between symmetry and asymmetry with daring, uneven cuts and contrasts.
fORS equals ageless and timeless designs with an extravagant sex appeal.

Siba Sahabi is presenting 'Qaina' (short film) and 'Tarab' (sculptures) - The short film entitled ‘Qaina’ is dedicated to the historical female
dancers who were known as Qainas. They worked as highly-educated slaves
in the courts of the Ottoman Empire and played an important role in
developing oriental dance throughout the centuries.This
project was realized in collaboration with: Sara Toscano (dance), Iván
Pérez (choreography), Rutger Zuydervelt/ Machinefabriek (music), Niels
van den Top (film direction), Paul Damen (cinematography), Lisa Klappe
(photography), Stefanie Zweifel (assistance), and Alexander
Spiliopoulos (CAD modeling) (photocredits; JW Kaldenbach)

July 5, 2014

About: Crystal
Z Campbell (b. 1980, Prince George’s County, MD) attended Skowhegan
School of Painting & Sculpture, received an MA in Africana Studies
from the University at Albany and an MFA from the University of
California San Diego. Her work has been exhibited at ICA-Philadelphia,
Fondazione Ratti, Studio Museum in Harlem, New Children’s Museum of San
Diego, Wave Hill Garden and Cultural Center, Project Row Houses, Jamaica
Center for Arts and Learning, Harvestworks, Galleria Artericambi and de
Appel Arts Centre among others.

In
2014, Campbell will be a Sommerakademie fellow at Zentrum Paul Klee in
Bern, Switzerland. Campbell was a Van Lier Fellow at the Whitney Museum
of Art’s Independent Study Program and recently finished a two-year
residency at the Rijkakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam, The
Netherlands where she currently lives and works.

(photocredits; JW Kaldenbach)SALON/Big Bang; MaryMe-JimmyPaul at the Oude KerkMaryMe-JimmyPaul works with the area that exists between art and
fashion.
Taking inspiration from their own created stories, worlds, people and
view on the current (and past) pop culture, they show fashion in a
different way.

Constantly pushing the boundaries of shape, textures and colors, they
raise eyebrows with their big, sculptural works that not only provide a
surprising look, but also evoke a feeling.
This feeling, or emotion, is one of the most important factors in the
works of MaryMe-JimmyPaul.
It explains to the viewer what the collection is about and what the
label stands for at that particular time.

With the help of different disciplines from the art and fashion world,
MaryMe-JimmyPaul takes the viewer into the beautiful, eerie, humorous,
bizarre, grandiose fantasy fashion world of MaryMe-JimmyPaul, through
its unique presentation.
The end result is an explosion in the face, like a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

July 4, 2014

About: Robin de Vogel How do we relate to the objects around us?
Oftentimes, this question functions as a starting point for Robin de
Vogel’s work. Intrigued by the object’s ability to narrate elements of
our personal lives, she looks for the moment in which we decide to
attach ourselves to an object.

Zooming in on fragments allows her to excavate personal fascinations and
simultaneously reflect on society on a larger scale. The applied
transformation of material is used to dig into the various layers of
meaning, uncovering a very private and intimate connection with the
object.

Whether it is a worn out sexdoll, a dusty floor mat, a broken tile, a
disregarded trash bin or a souvenir; Robin tries to find the point at
which an object is no longer anonymous, ultimately leaving the viewers
to question their own roles as owners of objects.

Robin de Vogel was born in Holland and raised in Aruba.
She is currently living and working in the Netherlands.

Artist and designer Joris Landman wants to put a teapot in
orbit around the sun. During SALON/Big Bang, he presents an update on his Celestial Teapot Project. The image of a teapot floating in space comes from a 1950s
article about religion, by thinker and scientist Bertrand Russell. In that text, Russell compared
the belief in a god to the belief in a teapot orbiting the sun. Over the following 60+ years, that image
was spread in many iterations and variations. It has acquired iconic status in scientific and digital
culture, and has become a symbol for philosophical questions about reality. Joris is fascinated by the
Celestial Teapot. Why and how are this imagery, and the ideas it represents, being perpetuated? Working from the assumption that the best way to understand
how a thing works, is to actually make it, Joris aims to launch a teapot into space, following the
literal words from the original article. He is bringing together a group of individuals and organizations to share
this goal, and to turn the virtual icon into actual reality. The output of the project is an ongoing series of
events, presentations and collaborations—with experts ranging from theologians to astrophysicists and
ceramists, on subjects ranging from Christian liturgy to Silicon Valley and Alice in Wonderland—until that
goal is realized. www.celestialteapotproject.com

About:

Joris Landman works as an independent graphic designer for
local, national and international clients

with a focus on creative industries and digital media. He
also does commissioned and non-commissioned art and design projects in a wide range of media, which have
been presented in international museums, manifestations and magazines. Constant in his work, is his
interest in the emergence and storage of meaning through man-made signs and signals. www.jorislandman.com

You can be Jesus at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam! Upload your portrait to www.beingjesus.nlwith your smartphone and within 5 seconds your face will be visible on the styrofoam sculpture of Jesus This interactive project "Being Jesus" is by Klaas Kuiken, productdesigner) and Peter van der West, interactive designer). (photocredits; JW Kaldenbach)

About: Klaas Kuiken. In 2010 Klaas Kuiken graduated from ArtEZ School of Arts in
Arnhem (NL). In his work process Kuiken is more an inventor and craftsman
than a designer, which gives him a different, new look on materials, techniques and the
production process. This approach provides

him with endless possibilities and - combined with his
designing qualities- makes him an innovative

designer. For example, in the collection ‘New Found Treasures’ (in
collaboration with Dieter Volkers), Klaas Kuiken’s work is characterized by his pleasure in experiment
and research. Kuiken often aims to add new function and new value to his collection of ‘found
treasures’. Without losing any of the work’s recognizability, Kuiken has shaped unplanned objects
in which the treasures have found a new way to manifest themselves. The collection ‘New Found
Treasures’ gives a poetic look at the things
around us and the value of worthless.About: Peter van der West.

July 2, 2014

SALON/Big Bang: ONE LOVE at the Bijbels Museum; During the second opening of SALON/Big Bang "One Love" (Jarwo Gibson and Desiree Hammen) showed their work "Sun Gazing Love" in the garden of the Bijbels Museum, until the closing of SALON/Big Bang it can be viewed inside. (click images to enlarge)